Chooser

Which film suits your glass?

Frosted is for privacy with daylight. Rainbow is for color, on a window that gets direct sun. Both hold on smooth and lightly textured glass, not on heavily textured or pebbled glass.

  1. Privacy or color?
  2. Direct sun
  3. Your glass
  4. What neither does
The two films

Privacy or color?

Real photos of both films, no edits beyond cropping.

A hand held behind a sheet of frosted film shows only as a blurred shape.Low tack · sparkle grain

For privacy with daylight

Frosted film

  • Blurs the view from both sides while daylight comes through.
  • Sparkle grain: a soft shimmer in direct sun.
  • At night with the lights on inside, a person close to the glass can show as a soft silhouette.
Rainbow film on a window in direct sun: small rainbow flecks sparkle in the mosaic.Low tack · mosaic

For color in direct sun

Rainbow film

  • In direct sun, the mosaic casts rainbow colors across the room.
  • Without direct sun: a soft stained-glass texture, no rainbows.
  • Light privacy only: it softens shapes, it does not hide them.
Direct sun

Which windows get direct sun?

Rainbow film needs sun landing straight on the glass. Watch the window for a day: if a patch of sunlight falls through it onto the floor or a wall, it gets direct sun for those hours, and that is when the rainbows show.

On cloudy days, at night and on north-facing or shaded glass it shows a soft stained-glass texture instead. Frosted film works the same with or without sun; in direct sun its grain adds a soft shimmer.

Will I get rainbows? More in the tips

Rainbow film in direct sun, with rainbow flecks in the mosaic.
Direct sun
The same rainbow film at night with no sun: a textured stained-glass look, no rainbows.
No direct sun

The same film, photographed in direct sun and at night.

Your glass

Smooth, lightly textured or pebbled?

Both films are low tack: they need enough flat contact with the glass to hold.

  • Smooth glass: yes

    Flat, clear glass in windows, glass doors and shower doors.

  • Lightly textured: yes

    A light texture, like many bathroom windows, still leaves enough flat contact.

  • Heavily textured or pebbled: no

    Deep bumps leave too little contact, so neither film holds there.

Straight answers

What neither film does

  • Neither is a mirror film that lets you see out but not in. Frosted blurs the view from both sides.
  • Neither darkens a room: both let daylight through.
  • We make no heat or UV claims for either film.
  • Neither holds on heavily textured or pebbled glass.

More answers on night views, steamy bathrooms and removal: tips and honest answers.

Next

Picked a film? Measure your glass

Measure the glass, not the frame. Then price every pane before you open Amazon.